शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

xvi SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
gnana Botham. One is by Pandi Perumal and it is a very clear
and useful commentary for the beginner and nothing is known
about the writer and about his life except his mere name; but
from the way he describes himself, he must have lived very
near the time of Meikanda Deva. The other commentator is
a well known person, Sivagnana Yogi or Muniver who died
in the year Visuvavasu before last, 1785 A. D. The famous
Adhinam at Thiruvavaduthurai has produced very many great
sages, poets and writers in its days but it produced none
equal to Sivagnana Yogi. The Tamil writers do not think
that any praise is too lavish when bestowed upon him; and I have
heard pundits of even other faiths speak in awe and respect of his
mighty genius. He was a great Poet, and Rhetorician, a keen
Logician and Philosopher, and commentator and a great Sanskrit
Scholar. He with his pupil composed Kanchipuran which in the
opinion of many surpasses many of the Epics in the Tamil lan-
guage, so far as the imagery of its description and its great
originality and the difficulty of its style and diction are concerned.
He is the author of several commentaries and works on Tamil
Grammar and Rhetoric. He has translated into Tamil the Sanskrit
Tarka Sangraha and his commentaries on Sivagnana Botham and
Sivagnana Siddhi have been rarely equalled for the depth of per-
ception and clearness of exposition and the vastness of erudition
displayed by him. His short commentary on Sivagnana Botham is
the one now published and his other commentary called the Dravida
Bhashya has not been published yet. The original manuscripts
are in the possession of His Holiness the Pandara Sannadhigal of
Thiruvavaduthurai and very many attempts were made during the
life time of His Holiness the late Pandara Sannadhigal to induce
him to publish this work but without success. I have interviewed
His Holiness the Present Pandara Sannadhigal, and he appeared to
me to be very enlightened in his views and sentiment and I have
every hope that His Holiness will have no objection to publish the
work provided he sees that the people are really earnest about its